Thursday, August 2, 2012

What Went Wrong: Aside from four batters in the bottom of the 6th inning (where they scored four runs after four consecutive extra basehits), the Rockies were a complete disaster tonight. Just stupid, unfocused, fundamentally unsound, hopeless and directionless baseball.

But when you think about it honestly, they could not have followed up the front office news earlier in the day with a more fitting performance. It was perfect in that regard, and if there's one play that symbolizes the entire Rockies organization in its current structure, it's the one below.

Maybe if I half-ass try to tag the runner, the umpire will call him out!

Maybe if we make half-ass changes in the front office, the fans will really think we're making a real effort!

Guess what. That umpire wasn't an idiot.

Guess what else. The majority of Rockies fans aren't idiots either.

Turning Point: We go back to that 6th inning where Colorado scored the four runs. It actually could have been more, except the Rockies had to squeeze their nightly baserunning error in there to kill the rally dead. That error comes courtesy of Eric Young, who knocked in the fourth run with a double and then was tagged out going for three when he chose slowing down over sliding.

Honestly, Rich Dauer shoulders most of the blame on a play like that. His sole job is to alert the baserunner and direct him to the base safely, and you could tell by the look EY shoots Dauer immediately after the tag that he was PISSED Dauer hung him out to dry. That said, for a guy that earns his playing time through his hustle, it was a little surprising to see Young pulling up there. But wherever you want to throw the blame, crap like that simply cannot happen.

What happened next? The Rockies took a 5-3 lead in that inning, but it naturally didn't last long. Four batters into the 7th, Matt Holliday blasted a three-run homer (second HR of the night), giving St. Louis the 6-5 lead.

For Colorado it'll be Alex White or Carlos Torres or perhaps even Dinger trying to stop the bleeding. We just know it won't be Christian Friedrich, who had his scheduled start pushed back to the weekend. For St. Louis it'll be all-star Lance Lynn (13-4, 3.42), so barring a miracle this one appears headed to the right-hand column.

Final Thoughts: In case you missed it earlier, here's my post for Big League Stew on the Rockies front office 'chagnes' that were announced on Wednesday.

"We have the right people running this organization. I know there's some that disagree with me. People talk about accountability. I am taking accountability for this," Monfort said.

It's the usual spiel we've heard at least four times already this season, which should tell you right there how a big a mess this entire organization is. But it is what it is. No impact changes are coming. No breath of fresh air. No desperately needed fresh perspectives on the horizon. They're perfectly content rearranging the furniture, recycling their excuses and very likely losing 100+ games.